Synchronized flash camera



April 30, 1940. G B, POLLOK 2,198,975

SYNCHRONIZED FLASH CAMERA Filed July 7, 1959 /7 j INVENTOR Ga/ aalv B. P041 ack.

a 7 [6 A? BY ATTORNEYS.

' PatentedApr. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to Jack Galter, Chicago, Ill.

' Application July 7, 1939, Serial No. 283,239

2 Claims.

This invention relates to cameras in which provision is made for synchronizing with the shutter, a flash circuit whereby pictures may be taken under any adverse light conditions.

with the increasing success enjoyed by certain expensive foreign made miniature cameras, a new style in camera appearance has been launched. The cameras in question are non-symmetrical in appearance, that is, the lens is not mounted cenlO trally of the front wall of the camera body but rather slightly to one side. This is done in the cameras above mentioned for a definite reason in that there is certain mechanism in connection with film transport and shutter operation which it necessitates the extra space.

On account of the success enjoyed by these cameras, the oil-center lens style has come to be considered desirable and numerous cameras of inexp'ensive types now on the market pro- 30 vide an ofl-center lens mounting for no purpose whatever except to follow the style of a non-symmetrical lens arrangement.

In some cameras thenon-symmetrical arrangement is achieved by simply extending the I a camera body to one side and leaving a certain amount of space, which in some cases is used to carry a spare roll of film.

It is an object of my invention to utilize thisspace in a camera in which such a space is pro- I go vided for style reasons rather than for any functional reasons and to provide for a circuit including a dry cell, a flash bulb, and a shutter operated contact whereby synchronous flash pictures may be made.

It is another object of my invention to provide such an arrangement which will be extremely simple and very inexpensive and which willyet give perfect synchronization. A further object of my invention resides in the provision of means whereby an ordinary light socket having prongs thereon may be utilized for holding the flash bulb, which socket may simply be plugged into the camera by means of slots in the camera body. I These and other objects of my invention which a will be described more in detail hereinafter, or

which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of' parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment. drawing forming a part hereof andin which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a camera provided with a flash arrangement according to my I invention. I

. Figure2isaplanviewofthesame.

Reference is made to the Figure 3 is a rear view of the same showing the flash bulb socket separated from the camera body. 7

Figure 4 is a partial cross sectional view on a larger scale taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. I ii Figure 5 is a partial cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a rear view similar to Figure 3 but on an enlarged scale and with the back of the camera removed. I

Figure l is a partialcross sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a partial cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 4.

Briefly, in the practice of my invention, I avail myself of a camera of the type having a body l0 7 with a lens system generally indicated at l i mounted off-center. By reference to Figure 6, it will be observed that a camera of this type has a compartment indicated at l2 which serves no 2t) useful purpose except to lengthen that side of the camera body, and perhaps permit the carrying of a spare roll of film. I place within this compartment ii a dry cell indicated at l3 in broken lines and cut slots [4 in the top wall above the compartment l2 whereby a conventional plug-in type of socket indicated at l5 may be utilized, and I provide an electrical circuit from the battery to the socket and including contacts operable in connection with the shutter.

As shown best in Figure 6, I rivet to the bottomwall of the camera a contact element It having a lead I! attached thereto. The contact I6 is adapted to be engaged by the bottom terminal of the dry cell l3. To the top wall I rivet a pair 5 of contacts indicated respectively at 18 and I9, these contacts being separated by an insulating washer 20, A lead 2| is connected to the contact l8. As will be observed by reference to the Figures 6 and 7, the contact 19 has an arm bent I downwardly as at I and again horizontally as at lSb to provide a portion adapted to be contacted by the central terminal l3a of the dry cell. The contact l9 also has a downwardly and slightly outwardly bent arm l9c for a purpose 45 to be described hereinafter. In order to permit ready insertion of a dry cell it, may be found advisable to bend the end of the portion l9b upwardly a slight amount as indicated at l9d.

The contact I! has a downwardly and slightly o outwardly extending portion |8a to which the lead 2| is connected and it will be noted that the slope of the portions Illa and llc crosses underneath, the slots ll so that when the socket is is inserted with. the prongs Ito and lib thereof 5 passing through the slots 14, the prongs l5a and I51) will make contact respectively with the elements I90 and l8a.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 4, 5 and 8 a lens 22 is mounted in housing 23 arranged to be attached to the camera body as by means of screws 24. The shutter mechanism itself is mounted upon a metal disc 25 which in 'turn rests upon an insulating disc 26.

'The shutter itself is of conventional type ineluding a release button 21 urged upwardly in Figure 4' bymeans of a spring 28 and having an arm 29 connected to the shutter disc -30 by means of spring 3i. A cover plate 32 is also provided to close the lens opening during return movement of the shutter. be described in further detail since it of itself forms no part of my invention.

It will be observed that the spring 3| is attached to the shutter 30 by means of a rivet 33. I provide a contact'flnger 34 fastened to the camera body as by means of a screw and positioned so that as the shutter is actuated, the rivet 33 will make contact with the end of the finger 3 4.

The lead 2| shown in Figure 6 is passed through the camera body as shown at 250 in Figure 5, and is connected to the screw 35 by means of which the finger 34 is mounted. It will be noted incidentally that the screw 35 is insulated from the metal plate 25 by means of an insulating bushing 36. The lead l1 shown in Figure 6 is also brought through the camera body as indicated at Ila in Figure 8 and passes through a hole 26a in the insulating disc and makes contact with themetal disc 25.

It will now be observed that at the instant when the contact formed by the rivet 33 and the finger 34 is completed, a circuit is set up from the terminal l3a of the dry cell through contact IQ of the portion l9a thereof to the terminal l5a of the socket. Current passes through the flash bulb and through the prong l5b to the portion l8a of the contact I8. .Thence it passes by means of the lead 2| and the lead 2111, the screw '35, the finger 34, the rivet 33, the shutter 33, the disc 25, to the lead Ila and thence by means of the lead I! to the contact Hi to the opposite pole of the dry cell l3. It will be observed that at all times other than when a contact is made be- The shutter mechanism will not It will be clear that modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself except as pointed out in the claims which follow.

'Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is:

1. In a camera having a shutter and a transverse compartment within the body and intermediate the ends thereof, slots extending through said body and into said compartment, a battery in said compartment, a flash bulb having a socket withdepending prongs, a pair of conductive elements in said compartment disposed to make contact with said prongs inserted through said slots, one of said elements also arranged to make contact with one of the terminals of said battery, a contact finger mounted in the path of travel of said shutter leads from the other of said conductive elements to said finger and from the other terminal of said battery to said shutter, whereby when said shutter is actuated an electric current is set up through said battery and said flash bulb.

2. A camera comprising a lens, a casing, a

I transverse compartment within said casing, said casing having slots extending therethrough and into said compartment, a battery in said compartment, a flash bulb having a socket with depending prongs, said prongs extending through said slots into said compartment, conductive elements positioned within said compartment to be contacted by said prongs, one of said conductive elements contacting one of the terminals of said battery, an insulating disc having a shutter opennormally holding said rivet from contact with said contact member on the casing, means connecting the other of the conductive elements in the compartment with the contact member and means connecting the metal disc with the other terminal 01' said battery, said shutter mechanism when actuated exerting pressure on the spring to 7 permit the rivet to contact the contact member so as to set up an electrical circuit and cause the discharge of the flash bulb while the shutter opening is exposed.

I GORDON B. POLLOCK. 

